Phuc Tho Pagoda

Phuc Tho Pagoda is named after the place name of Phuc Tho village, which has existed since ancient times, and is also known by its vernacular name, Thi Thon Pagoda. The pagoda's Sino-Vietnamese name is: "Dien Phuc Tu". Phuc Tho Pagoda dates back to a very early period, closely tied to the formation and development of the village. The relatively early date of the relic's establishment is determined based on artifacts currently kept here, such as stone stele, bronze bells, a system of round statues, horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, and altar curtains. Among them, the bronze bell with the reign title Thieu Tri the 3rd (1842), still kept at the pagoda, is evidence of the birth and existence of the ancient pagoda as well as its renovations and repairs. The inscription on the bell reads: "At the beginning of the year of the Chieu Thong reign of the Le dynasty (1787), bells were destroyed to cast copper coins, so the pagoda's ancient bell was also melted in the coin-casting furnace...", the stele bearing the Bao Dai 6th reign title (1931) records the names of those who contributed rice fields and money to renovate Phuc Tho Pagoda. Thus, it can be inferred that Phuc Tho Pagoda was founded at least during the Nguyen dynasty. Surviving to the present, the relic has undergone many renovations and repairs. In 1995-1996 the pagoda was renovated, and in 2003 the local people repaired the Patriarch's House, the Mother Goddess House, and the guest house. Phuc Tho Pagoda is located on a large plot of land in the center of the village. The relic has main architectural items: the pagoda gate, the three-part main hall (Tam Bao), the Mother Goddess House, and the Patriarch's House. The entrance to the pagoda formerly went in front of the Tam Bao; later, some other architectural structures collapsed into the Duong River. Now the pagoda entrance is made behind the pagoda, connected to the village road. The three-entrance gate consists of one main gate and two side gates. The wide main gate has an arched passage, an eight-roofed upper tier with curved sword-shaped corners, and a ridge decorated with a moon face and lantern panels featuring the four sacred creatures and four noble plants. Connected to the main gate are two smaller side gates, decorated with leaf patterns, lantern panels with the four noble plants, and pillar tops adorned with curled branches and flower buds. The main pagoda has two buildings connected to form a floor plan in the shape of the character "đinh". The front hall consists of 5 bays and 2 wings, built in the style of gable ends with closed gables and ngai arms with decorative pillars. The three central bays have panel doors, the two side bays have windows, and in the center of the ridge is a large inscribed board reading "Dien Phuc Tu" The roof is covered with local tiles, and the floor is paved with bricks. The upper beam bears the inscription Khai Dinh the eighth year (1923). The trusses are decorated with leaf patterns, cloud clusters... The upper hall consists of two bays and one wing, built with closed gable walls, with truss structures using tie beams crossing over wall brackets, and the roof covered with local tiles. Architectural decoration is concentrated on the corner panels with scroll patterns, leaves, four sacred creatures, four noble plants, flying phoenixes... The Mother Goddess House is located behind the main pagoda, consisting of 5 bays built in the style of gable ends with closed gables and ngai arms with decorative pillars. The three central bays worship the Mother Goddess, and the two side bays are used as living quarters for the abbot. The corner panels are decorated with stylized four noble plants (pine, chrysanthemum, bamboo, apricot), the trusses are decorated with eye flowers, leaves, and line borders... the roof is covered with local tiles, and the floor is paved with bricks. The central bay worships the Mother Goddess statues, the left side worships Lady Son Trang, and the right side worships Tran Trieu., The Patriarch's House has 3 bays connected to the guest house; all trusses are made in the tie-beam style, and the architectural decoration is simple. The Patriarch's House displays the Patriarch statues worshiped in the central bay, above which are altar curtains and an altar. The Buddhist statue system carries the artistic style of the 19th-20th centuries, including: statues of the Three Buddhas, Amitabha; Quan Am Chuan De, Jade Emperor, the Nine-Dragon Throne and the infant Shakyamuni Buddha... all statues are covered with splendid lacquer and gilding. The front hall is where statues of Duc Ong and Duc Thanh Tang, Khuyen Thien, Trung Ac... are located. In particular, the two Kim Cuong reliefs are rarely seen works today.

Phuc Tho Pagoda currently preserves a diverse and rich collection of artifacts in terms of materials and types, such as a bronze bell dating to Thieu Tri the 3rd (1843), 3 stone stele dating to Bao Dai the 6th (1931), Bao Dai the 7th (1932), and Bao Dai the 9th (1934); reliefs and a system of round statues, incense tables, incense bowls, horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, altar curtains... The Phuc Tho Pagoda relic (Dien Phuc Tu) was ranked as a City-level Historical and Artistic Relic under Decision No. 1219/QD-UBND dated March 20, 2012.